I've come to realize the more I learn the less I know. There is a lot of information on self sufficient living and reading books, magazines and blogs is a great place to gain valuable information.
Today I asked myself, "Where do I start?"
Debt
Gardening
Compost
Canning
Knitting
Raising Chickens (building a coop and how many chickens should I have?)
Water Preservation (in water barrels, not my hands and feet)
Grey Water Irrigation
Before I got married I wanted to move to NC, open my own store specializing in American made products for the home and live a simpler life. I had a plan for a home that could operate with and without electricity. Now it's called, off the grid. I had a general plan but nothing concrete. I didn't know where to start? Then...
I bought a cell phone and a Gateway computer. I loved the sound of "You've got Mail". I hated the busy signal I would get for 10 to 30 minutes when I tried to dial in. It seemed an eternity and I felt a rush when I would hear the gargling noise the dial up made when the internet connected. I met and married my husband, moved to Florida and within in the first year we bought our first house, had a baby...fast forward 12 years later...
I would love to simplify my life. What does that mean? What does it take to do it and how much does it cost? You heard me right! How much does it cost to live simple.
I have a full life with my husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs and 3 cats. Over 12 years ago I prayed for a family and a simple life. Today, I'm asking what is simple?
Simple is "not complicated" right?
So...bake bread, hang clothes to dry, plant garden, meals made from scratch, frequent thrift and antique stores, estate sales and use the library for books and movies.
I'm sure I'm missing a few, but to me, these are the basics.
Cooking a meal from scratch really doesn't take much more time than pre-fab food. I love thrifting. That is no sacrifice, I assure you. I love the thrill of finding a bargain. Clothes, books, tools, quilts and...cool stuff, whatever "cool stuff" maybe on that given day.
My biggest obstacle is me and a lack of time and structure.
Simplifying has turned into homesteading and that has turned into a creature all it's own.
Meals fall into the "lack of structure category" and luckily we don't own a microwave!
Water Barrels are PRICEY!
Chicken Coops are PRICEY and building one...? When it cools down we'll try...
Irrigation via water barrels...cheap but I need to learn how to do it.
Canning: My garden pretty much flopped but it was a great learning experience! Going to find a local farm to buy veggies and can and will keep planting.
Debt is gone! YEA!!!!
Instead of trying to conquer the homestead world and hope for advice or 'oohs and ahhs' on my little blog I'm going to learn ONE thing. I'm going to get so good at that ONE thing that it'll be a breeze and then I'll pick another thing.
I think simple is just doing one thing at a time. Not too much and not all at once.
2 comments:
You are right! Start slow and gradually get more. We started with a garden, composting, canning and then chickens. By the way chickens do not take a lot of time really. We just feed and water them in the morning and then I change the water in the afternoon and give them their "treat" (watermelon today). We talk to them and hold some of them but it only takes about 20-30 minutes total. Their feed isnt much in the summer since they eat bugs, grass and get treats. It costs a little bit more in the winter though but the eggs are so worth it. We bought a chicken coop and it was expensive but we didnt have enough time to make one. It would have been cheaper to take one of those little wooden sheds you can get and modify it with egg boxes and perches and we would have had enough room to store the feed out there instead of the dining room. Sorry got carried away with this comment ;) just happens sometimes.
Carried away is good! Thanks for the response. I'm keeping an eye out for pallets for a compost bin. I've read chickens are easier to take care of than dogs but for me its the getting started part. I have black snakes in my back yard so I have to reinforce the ground under the coop and run with fencing that they cant get through. I have a question. What wooden shed are you talking about converting to a coop? I'll be keeping the feed in the garage or house. We have river rats and raccoons that would probably get into the feed. By the way, I'm glad I'm not the only one with space issues!
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